Another Company Adds Eastman’s Eastar Renew to Medical Packaging Portfolio

Custom sheet extruder for medical packaging applications Pacur has announced that it is incorporating Eastman’s Eastar Renew 6763 in the production of rigid, thermoformed, sterile barrier packaging. Oshkosh, WI–based Pacur calls it an important step toward the formation of a circular economy by diverting landfill-bound plastic waste.

“For more than 40 years, Pacur has earned the trust of medical device and packaging companies around the world through our ongoing commitment to quality, service, and innovation,” said Jason Eckel, Pacur's senior vice president of sales and marketing. “A key element of our innovation agenda is a commitment to investing in the development of next-generation sustainability solutions. With the introduction of Pacur custom sheet and rollstock solutions leveraging Eastar Renew 6763, Pacur and Eastman are enabling progress toward a circular economy.”

A product of Eastman’s molecular recycling technology, Eastar Renew 6763 reportedly is indistinguishable from Eastar 6763 copolyester in terms of durability, safety, and performance. Sourcing Eastar Renew enables Pacur to certify that plastic waste is being diverted from landfills to produce new packaging. The amount of plastic waste diverted is tracked through an ISCC-certified mass balance accounting approach that allocates recycled content to Eastman Renew materials.

Pacur’s use of Eastar Renew 6763 in sterile barrier packaging products is further enabled by Pacur’s ISCC PLUS-certified facility. Certification was achieved in 2022. ISCC PLUS is a globally recognized, third-party certification system for tracking sustainable feedstocks through the supply chain.  

Pacur is the third company to use Eastman's Renew copolyester in medical packaging applications. In 2022, Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson company, announced that it would use the material in sterile barrier packaging. Earlier this year, Nelipak announced that it is using Eastar Renew 6763 in its rigid thermoformed sterile barrier packaging. Nelipak is the first healthcare packaging manufacturer to use the material in the production of sterile barrier packaging for Class II and III medical device applications.

Eastman said it will start up the world’s largest material-to-material molecular recycling facility in Kingsport, TN, later this year.